Let me preface my review by stating that i'm not a gigantic fan of barrel aged beers. The woody notes that most barrel aged beers doesn't lend well to the styles that I love. I decided to sample this beer last night during Intuition's new release party after a friend lended me a taste and i'm damn glad that I did. It was served up in a brandy snifter right off the tap.

A: Settles inky-wet in the glass with a soft porcini mushroom brown foam halo around the inner rim of the glass.

S: Perfect choice of serving vessil. The scent is reminiscent of fine burbon, coffee and star anise. You just want to keep smelling it gently while you sip.

T: The taste is rich without being dense, you will get the burbon barrel flavorings up front with enough hops to counter the alcohol. Liquorice and toffee kick the tongue and then fade to a vanilla on the back end. It's like the most delicious boilermaker i've ever had.

M: The alcohol level and whiskey taste caution you to sip this one like a single malt whiskey, yet it's safe to enjoy freely. Finishes dry and peppery/spicy.

O: Absolutely outstanding. Could possibly be the best stout i've ever had. I bought two growlers of it. :)

At the Intuition UnderDark release party, had an UnderDark on tap. It pours a very dark, flat black with a tannish head, taste is of vanilla and Bourbon, mouthfeel is extremely smooth and creamy, very palatable, one of the best bourbon aged beers I've ever had. Got Three bottles for myself to take home!

Thanks to rbradley & moose3285 for dropping bottles of this on my almost simultaneously. 22 oz. bottle that appears to consciously invoke H.P. Lovecraft, which I approve of heartily, split with my wife.

The pour is black with underlayment of brown & black & dark. I don’t see any oak shards, but there’s minimal carbonation. There’s more wood in the nose than any beer I’ve had in recent memory, with a head-sized dollop of chocolate. Like walking into Home Ghiradelli Depot on a warm August day & breathing deep. Interesting & unique.

Underdark wallops my sense of a big stout & sends it out into the snow to die. 150’ board feet of oak brings a dry, wry, sawdust feel to the sweetness of the stout, & I find myself sans saliva for the foreseeable future. Woven into the raw cabinetry is bourbon – not so much bourbon as a sense of bourbon that tickles the nose, numbs the top of the mouth, & brings a drunken smile to the face. The downslope is honey sweetness, a lower dose of chocolate than the aroma promised, vanilla, low flat bitterness (hops or cocoa?). I’m sucking on this like it’s God’s Own Milk.

This is just like that time in Cumberland, Wisconsin…but that’s a story for close friends not easily offended. Suffice to say I love surprises with upside, & this was another Omni Theater (hey, another Cumberland reference, hahaha!). This is an elite beer, one of those rare "Holy Fuck, What Is This" brews that come out of nowhere. So happy to have another bottle, salut!

On tap at the brewery. Poured into a snifter. Small head, low retention. Black body. Soapy lacing, small bubbles. Aroma dominated by coffee, slight vanilla and molasses and just a touch of alcohol. Mouthfeel is thick and viscous. Very thick. Taste has nice coffee, touch of chocolate and vanilla, lots of roasted malts. Plenty of complexity but I think more layers will be added to the mix with additional aging in the bottle. Alcohol is well hidden. Deep. Dark. Mysterious. Perfect name, spectacular beer.

On tap at underdark release party in Jacksonville, FL. beer was served in an Underdark snifter. Pours an opaque black and has a beautiful, sweet smell with hints of oak wood and vanilla. A great local beer that is truly putting Jacksonville on the map, as far as craft beer is concerned.